Lars Ulrich, a fellow Dane, is the reason I made this thread. Lars, hate him or love him, was the most "metal" person in Metallica simply because by the time he met up with James Hetfield to form the band he was way into all these NWOBHM bands that did eventually shape Metallica's sound. He was especially obsessed with Diamond Head whereas Hetfield was more from a rockier background, Lynyrd Skynrd and all that.

Metallica were at the forefront of thrash in the beginning and a lot of thrash bands to be took a lot of influence from them. The argument can therefore be made that Lars' obscure NWOBHM influences didn't only feed just Metallica but actually were picked up on by several bands in the scene.

But I digress.

The thread is about the most "metal" person in a band. Any metal band that you know of, who is the musician most devout and thoroughly into metal and to what extent do you think this influences the band and what they sound like.

I have heard Mille is a thorough and devout metalhead and he has listed Celtic Frost, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Bathory and Venom as some of his greatest influences. Listening to Kreator, you can obviously feel those influences coming through loud and clear.

The said "metalness" of the musicians in a metal band does affect what the band eventually sounds like. I mean the appreciation of what this music is and what it means to the fans does translate in how a band will write and deliver. Just look at Geoff Tate for instance. His hatred for metal forced him to force his band to move in a decidedly untraditional format compared to what Queensryche were doing earlier. You listen to "Dedicated To Chaos" and it really does sound closer to Gnarls Barkley than the Iron Maiden/Judas Priest influences they had on their first albums.

I think Fenriz might be the most "metal" person in a band, and probably the world. Based on his attitude to the music he makes and listens to, and the sheer knowledge he has cultivated of really underground and little-known bands. He just seems to love metal more than just about anyone.

Mike Portnoy comes immediately to mind.Dream Theater went to Berklee and are thus more schooled than many of their contemporaries but they were never quite able to just let loose and "rock". Portnoy from the start according to John Petrucci was always into more straight ahead metal and got his band mates into Metallica and was all about incorporating a heavier sound riff and drum wise into their Progressive rock sound.

"Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" and "Train Of Thought" are much more meatier on the riff than early records and most of the stuff Portnoy wrote while in the band (songs like "The Mirror", "The Glass Prison", "Constant Motion") are at the core heavy. So yeah, his "metalness" has influenced the way Dream Theater write.

I have heard Mille is a thorough and devout metalhead and he has listed Celtic Frost, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Bathory and Venom as some of his greatest influences. Listening to Kreator, you can obviously feel those influences coming through loud and clear.

All Kreator members are and were huge metal fans, Mille just does the most interviews.

The most metal person in a band is the one who dies of alcohol related problems/commits suicide first

...

I'd say Silenius is the most metal member of Summoning, being a former Abigor member and all, while Protector seems to lean towards other kinds of music from what I've read in interviews.Not that Summoning is a particularly "metal" band, but whatever.

What about Rob Halford? He's always on about Pantera, Megadeth and Metallica etc and he supposedly likes black metal; that's damn metal for a 60+? Year old.

Not to question the metalness of one of the metal gods, but half the people I know who can barely claim to be metalheads are always on about Pantera, Megadeth, and Metallica, so I'm not so sure this applies.

So far I'd say Fenriz is the best example of what this thread is about. He plays in one of the most well known and recognized black metal bands in the world, yet still has the time to discuss local heavy metal demo bands from the 70's to present day. How many black metal guys out there spend more time preaching about the glory of Agent Steel than the glory of Satan? Or write lyrics about Manilla Road instead of the occult? I'd say he stands alone in that regard.

I would say Gezol (Sabbat/Metalucifer) and King Fowley (Deceased/October 31) are two more of these special individuals who have dedicated their lives to metal.

Its hard to pick a Sabbat member who DOESN'T really fit this mold, but Gezol is the remaining founding member that has been with them from the start, and the founding member of Metalucifer as well. Sabbat has crossed or mixed genres constantly throughout their career, mixing in elements of NWOBHM, black, death, doom, thrash, and progressive metal to different extents, always being distinctly Sabbat but never satisfied with just being a "Japanese black metal band." Metalucifer was founded just so these guys could play something a little bit more old school. Also anyone who hangs out with Neal Tanaka and can keep up with him in all things metal must be metal as fuck.

Similar idea with King Fowley. Not being satisfied with being just another death/thrash band, Deceased evolved into something that fits amazingly in between death metal and traditional heavy metal under Fowley's guidance. And if that wasn't enough he founded October 31 to play something more on the heavy metal end of the spectrum. You know that Witchkiller - Day of the Saxons cover on "The Fire Awaits You" was his idea. And anyone who has ever seen him live and browsed his merch knows he's dedicated his life to metal. He has a better selection than some labels, and definitely much better than the typical vendor tables at a show.

Also I would say if we were to base this on appearance alone, Jim Schumacher of Brocas Helm is the most metal looking guy around

It's somewhat cringe worthy to consider, but Philip Anselmo was the first person that came to mind for me. Say what you will about his projects, but you can't deny that he has tried his hand at just about every subgenre in existence and still has a lot of love for the metal scene.

I also have to give Dave Grohl some credit for Probot. Any idiot in the early 2000s would've picked guys from Slipknot or Limp Bizkit for their "metal" project, but recruiting guys from bands like Venom, Cathedral, and Motorhead gives him some serious street cred in my eyes. That and Nirvana had more metal influence in their sound than the average music historian would have you believe.

The main guys in Nunslaughter seem to know their stuff. I met Jim Sadist once and he was going on about many bands I had never heard of from back in the day as well as listed off around a half-dozen side projects of various genres he plays in just for fun, and then he started talking about his record collection. Also, any band wherein three out of four members wear their badass oldschool kutten on stage during live performances is "metal" as fuck.

I think James Hetfield is much more into metal than Lars, he claims to be influenced by old school N.W.O.B.H.M (Tank,Sweet Savage,Diamond Head, Angel Witch,Withfynde, Witchfinder General,Weapon,Trespass,Trouble), new bands like Gojira,Baroness,The Sword,Ghost and Volbeat, hard rock (Lynyrd Skynyrd,Thin Lizzy,Aerosmith,Danzig,etc), old school punk like G.B.H, Discharge, and The Misfits and shit like that.

I'd say Ronnie James Dio when he was in Rainbow and Dio. For me, he was an embodiment of metal and its potential for empowerment seeing as that potential for empowerment is such a key element in his solo work.

No Joey DeMaio?I believe in the fans, I believe in metal more than anybody you've ever met. And you've known me a long time. I've never pissed on you even though you constantly do it to me. And I don't stab the fan in the back. And another thing, I'm prepared to die for metal. Are you?

Probably in every interview he has ever done he mentions his love for Metal.

Martin van Drunen, he was in Pestilience, Apshyx, Comecon, Hail of Bullets, Bolt Thrower, the upcoming Grand Supreme Blood Court and a few others. I cant think of any other vocalist who has this kind metal history with such praised bands.

I'd say Ronnie James Dio when he was in Rainbow and Dio. For me, he was an embodiment of metal and its potential for empowerment seeing as that potential for empowerment is such a key element in his solo work.

Again, these are truly gods of metal, but they do not apply to this thread. Think of this as "metal musicians who are also the biggest metal fans" and NOT "who are the megalithic players in heavy metal." This is about musicians who live for and love heavy metal. People who have spent years keeping up on bands (other than their own) which they love, spending countless hours learning about new bands, collecting records, contributing to zines or starting their own, running distros, managing and/or attending the shows of other bands, and so on. Also, people who's love for heavy metal reflects in their music and their lyrics. Manowar lyrics are a GREAT example of this. Sabbat and Deceased who I mentioned earlier also reflects this by the way they combine genres, exhibiting the full spectrum of metal in their music.

Now don't get me wrong, Lemmy and Dio are musicians of the highest tier in the heavy metal world. But are they really the truest metalheads around? I think not. Lemmy has always claimed to play rock and roll, almost to the point of avoiding the metal tag. Living in LA I've had the chance to run into him and talk to him, and while he is a cool guy, he will be the first to tell you that his musical influences and interests barely include metal. He's a 60's/70's rocker through and through. Even when I spoke with him about some of the metal bands I like, his knowledge on the subject was limited mostly to NWOBHM bands he toured with in the 80's and a few others who opened for him in other countries. Dio on the other hand was a bit more of a metalhead than Lemmy, but he was also a vocalist first and a metalhead second. Not having met him I can't comment on his tastes or how they affected him or his music, but he had been involved in countless projects in and out of metal music. He loved the power of heavy metal, like you say, but I don't see him as ever being the same kind of diehard for metal that some of the others mentioned in this thread are. Again, this statement has nothing to do with either Lemmy or Dio as musicians or highly influential players in metal, but that isn't what this thread is about

I think Gezol or the Nifelheim twins are the best examples of this, as in their cases playing in bands is just an incidental result of them being total metal fanatics.

There are also several cases where I've been pleasantly surprised by the metalness of someone in a band because it's not necessarily expected. Especially in the case of bands that have been around for a while, the band members may certainly like metal and listen to it, but what I normally see them mention is a combination of commonly cited/(generally) universally liked bands (which isn't very telling, because really, how many people don't like old Priest/Maiden/Sabbath/etc.?) along with some contemporary bands (usually dictated by current trends, who they're playing with, or what label they're on). Seeing Gerre from Tankard mentioning Omen or Savage Grace in an interview, or Bill Andrews of Death/Massacre wearing Satan Jokers and Rods shirts, or seeing Rodney Dunsmore's Holocaust shirt and later finding out he's a huge NWoBHM fan/collector--those kinds of things were cool because they weren't so typical. I also remember reading an interview with Charlie Benante a few years ago, and he mentioned he still collected NWoBHM singles from a lot of the minor bands, which seemed totally incongruous with later Anthrax.

I'd say Ronnie James Dio when he was in Rainbow and Dio. For me, he was an embodiment of metal and its potential for empowerment seeing as that potential for empowerment is such a key element in his solo work.

I think Fenriz might be the most "metal" person in a band, and probably the world. Based on his attitude to the music he makes and listens to, and the sheer knowledge he has cultivated of really underground and little-known bands. He just seems to love metal more than just about anyone.

A funny thing is he's also a huge fan of glam rock and techno, as can be seen from his tattoos, and many 'true metal' people hate that stuff.

I think Fenriz might be the most "metal" person in a band, and probably the world. Based on his attitude to the music he makes and listens to, and the sheer knowledge he has cultivated of really underground and little-known bands. He just seems to love metal more than just about anyone.

A funny thing is he's also a huge fan of glam rock and techno, as can be seen from his tattoos, and many 'true metal' people hate that stuff.

that is true he is a techno and glam/rock fan, but it dosnt take away from his contributions to (black) metal and his (infamous Darkthrone interviews) contributions to metal which is absolutely awesome ! i for one second this darkthrone is killer in everything they have done and Fenriz is a metal god

P.S i am on my 14th beer and about to smoke a J.. so hopefully i have spelt everything correctly we will seeeeeeee............

I'd say Ronnie James Dio when he was in Rainbow and Dio. For me, he was an embodiment of metal and its potential for empowerment seeing as that potential for empowerment is such a key element in his solo work.

Again, these are truly gods of metal, but they do not apply to this thread. Think of this as "metal musicians who are also the biggest metal fans" and NOT "who are the megalithic players in heavy metal." This is about musicians who live for and love heavy metal. People who have spent years keeping up on bands (other than their own) which they love, spending countless hours learning about new bands, collecting records, contributing to zines or starting their own, running distros, managing and/or attending the shows of other bands, and so on. Also, people who's love for heavy metal reflects in their music and their lyrics. Manowar lyrics are a GREAT example of this. Sabbat and Deceased who I mentioned earlier also reflects this by the way they combine genres, exhibiting the full spectrum of metal in their music.

Now don't get me wrong, Lemmy and Dio are musicians of the highest tier in the heavy metal world. But are they really the truest metalheads around? I think not. Lemmy has always claimed to play rock and roll, almost to the point of avoiding the metal tag. Living in LA I've had the chance to run into him and talk to him, and while he is a cool guy, he will be the first to tell you that his musical influences and interests barely include metal. He's a 60's/70's rocker through and through. Even when I spoke with him about some of the metal bands I like, his knowledge on the subject was limited mostly to NWOBHM bands he toured with in the 80's and a few others who opened for him in other countries. Dio on the other hand was a bit more of a metalhead than Lemmy, but he was also a vocalist first and a metalhead second. Not having met him I can't comment on his tastes or how they affected him or his music, but he had been involved in countless projects in and out of metal music. He loved the power of heavy metal, like you say, but I don't see him as ever being the same kind of diehard for metal that some of the others mentioned in this thread are. Again, this statement has nothing to do with either Lemmy or Dio as musicians or highly influential players in metal, but that isn't what this thread is about

Exactly!Well put Messiah_X. The thread is about metal musicians who care enough about what is happening in the scene and whose music is a reflection of their metal influences.

Speaking of which, I heard a rumor that Dave Baksh of Sum 41 who was a big Priest/Maiden fan wanted to create a thrashier sound for their next album but was turned down by the label and so he quit the band. anyone care to confirm?

larry lalonde from primus was in possessed, he's pretty f'n metal how about mike scaccia from ministry? he was in rigor mortis [too]

Larry LaLonde has done everything in his power to erase his metal past from history. That makes him one of the least metal people ever, in my book.

Anyway, King Fowley certainly gets my vote. The man lives and breathes metal. And even though King would disagree with me, I think Fenriz is cool too. Anyone who recommends Fates Warning and Manilla Road to people is fine by me.

Hansi Kursch seems to be a pretty serious metalhead. I know he talked about Fates Warning being an influence once, and in general seems more into obscure power and prog stuff you wouldn't initially guess.

Seconding the Nifelheim brothers. I've spoken with Erik before and he is one of the most knowledgeable diehard metalheads I've met. His vast love for all things in metal is also well expressed through Nifelheim's music.

Keeping in the theme of the thread I'm gonna throw Jack Black in the mix. Personally I think Tenacious D is a crap joke band and I find him a generally unfunny actor, but he is probably the most metal guy in Hollywood. Brutal Legend had the single most extensive metal soundtrack of any video game ever, and the Tenacious D movie was filled with fun little references that only other metalheads would really get.

EDIT:Also not sure about specific members on this one, but Reverend Bizarre. They seem to be kind of like the Manowar of doom metal. They are generally pretty weird, but they have done doom covers of countless songs, written songs specifically about some of their influences, and then there's the "Goddess of Doom" track which name drops something like 30 of their favorite doom metal bands, ranging from legends like Trouble, Candlemass, and Pagan Altar to more obscure acts like Minotauri and Mirror of Deception.

i sort of meant he's the most metal in that band, that's how i read the first post

the other night i remembered another one: hidee beast from HLAH/head like a hole [new zealand hard rock/metal-ish band]he's the drummer for HLAH, in band photos he's the metallist looking dude, and he was in demoniac! Mark Hamill - hidee beast - in Demoniac as Adramolech

Ray Alder (Redemption/Fates Warning) is the complete opposite of most of the people in this thread. I had a chance to meet him and he told me Redemption is about as much as he can take as regards listening to progressive and power metal. No Yes or Dream Theater for him when he's having his off time. None of that. Ray prefers stuff like Deftones and more straight forward hard rock actually. I was a bit disappointed but Ray is the nicest person you'll ever meet so I'm fine with it.

I'm not so sure about mentioning Joey DeMaio in the context of this thread. Although Manowar have a bit of a reputation for writing songs about metal, I saw an interview with Joey where they asked him what they thought of comparisons with Virgin Steele, and he admitted that he hasn't really listened to VS or any bands in the genre for quite a while because he's mostly focused on Manowar. Personally, Manowar's whole 'true metal' schtick always brings to mind high school kids just getting into Sabbath and Priest and raving to everyone they can find about how brilliant metal is, rather than any substantial tribute to the genre, but maybe that's just me.

_________________"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie?I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky.The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing;Rush in and die, dogs--I was a man before I was a king." - R. Howard